11/5/01

A department store in Cornwall, England, was prevented from posting a
job ad for an in-store Father Christmas, or Santa Claus, because to do
so would discriminate against women.

A spokeswoman for Woolworths
says the retailer is stocking a "Mother Christmas" outfit in
addition to "Father Christmas" to avoid sex discrimination lawsuits
based on EU regulations.

England's Luton Borough Council removed references to Christmas in its
end-of-year festival, renaming the Christmas lights ceremony
"Luminos" after a word in the Harry Potter book series. And in
Glasgow, Scotland, the end-of-year gathering formerly renamed "Shine
On" has once again been renamed "Winter Festival."

[Ed.: To avoid any mention of Christmas, the city of Pittsburgh now
refers to its end-of-year celebration as "Sparkle Days."]